Linux Kernel up to 6.15-rc5 xenbus xs_wake_up null pointer dereference

| CVSS Meta Temp Score | Current Exploit Price (≈) | CTI Interest Score |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | $0-$5k | 0.00 |
Summary
A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.15-rc5. Affected is the function xs_wake_up of the component xenbus. The manipulation leads to null pointer dereference.
This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2025-37949. No exploit exists.
It is advisable to upgrade the affected component.
Details
A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.15-rc5. This issue affects the function xs_wake_up of the component xenbus. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a null pointer dereference vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-476. A NULL pointer dereference occurs when the application dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid, but is NULL, typically causing a crash or exit. Impacted is availability. The summary by CVE is:
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xenbus: Use kref to track req lifetime Marek reported seeing a NULL pointer fault in the xenbus_thread callstack: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 RIP: e030:__wake_up_common+0x4c/0x180 Call Trace: <TASK> __wake_up_common_lock+0x82/0xd0 process_msg+0x18e/0x2f0 xenbus_thread+0x165/0x1c0 process_msg+0x18e is req->cb(req). req->cb is set to xs_wake_up(), a thin wrapper around wake_up(), or xenbus_dev_queue_reply(). It seems like it was xs_wake_up() in this case. It seems like req may have woken up the xs_wait_for_reply(), which kfree()ed the req. When xenbus_thread resumes, it faults on the zero-ed data. Linux Device Drivers 2nd edition states: "Normally, a wake_up call can cause an immediate reschedule to happen, meaning that other processes might run before wake_up returns." ... which would match the behaviour observed. Change to keeping two krefs on each request. One for the caller, and one for xenbus_thread. Each will kref_put() when finished, and the last will free it. This use of kref matches the description in Documentation/core-api/kref.rst
The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2025-37949 since 04/16/2025. The exploitation is known to be difficult. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available.
The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 237223 (Debian dsa-5925 : affs-modules-6.1.0-33-4kc-malta-di - security update), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.
Upgrading to version 5.15.183, 6.1.139, 6.6.91, 6.12.29, 6.14.7 or 6.15-rc6 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 4d260a5558df4650eb87bc41b2c9ac2d6b2ba447/8b02f85e84dc6f7c150cef40ddb69af5a25659e5/cbfaf46b88a4c01b64c4186cdccd766c19ae644c/8e9c8a0393b5f85f1820c565ab8105660f4e8f92/2466b0f66795c3c426cacc8998499f38031dbb59/1f0304dfd9d217c2f8b04a9ef4b3258a66eedd27 is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.
The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (237223), EUVD (EUVD-2025-15894) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-1114). Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Affected
- Debian Linux
- Amazon Linux 2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux
- Ubuntu Linux
- SUSE Linux
- Oracle Linux
- SUSE openSUSE
- Dell Avamar
- Open Source Linux Kernel
- Dell NetWorker
- Dell Secure Connect Gateway
Product
Type
Vendor
Name
Version
- 5.15.182
- 6.1.138
- 6.6.0
- 6.6.1
- 6.6.2
- 6.6.3
- 6.6.4
- 6.6.5
- 6.6.6
- 6.6.7
- 6.6.8
- 6.6.9
- 6.6.10
- 6.6.11
- 6.6.12
- 6.6.13
- 6.6.14
- 6.6.15
- 6.6.16
- 6.6.17
- 6.6.18
- 6.6.19
- 6.6.20
- 6.6.21
- 6.6.22
- 6.6.23
- 6.6.24
- 6.6.25
- 6.6.26
- 6.6.27
- 6.6.28
- 6.6.29
- 6.6.30
- 6.6.31
- 6.6.32
- 6.6.33
- 6.6.34
- 6.6.35
- 6.6.36
- 6.6.37
- 6.6.38
- 6.6.39
- 6.6.40
- 6.6.41
- 6.6.42
- 6.6.43
- 6.6.44
- 6.6.45
- 6.6.46
- 6.6.47
- 6.6.48
- 6.6.49
- 6.6.50
- 6.6.51
- 6.6.52
- 6.6.53
- 6.6.54
- 6.6.55
- 6.6.56
- 6.6.57
- 6.6.58
- 6.6.59
- 6.6.60
- 6.6.61
- 6.6.62
- 6.6.63
- 6.6.64
- 6.6.65
- 6.6.66
- 6.6.67
- 6.6.68
- 6.6.69
- 6.6.70
- 6.6.71
- 6.6.72
- 6.6.73
- 6.6.74
- 6.6.75
- 6.6.76
- 6.6.77
- 6.6.78
- 6.6.79
- 6.6.80
- 6.6.81
- 6.6.82
- 6.6.83
- 6.6.84
- 6.6.85
- 6.6.86
- 6.6.87
- 6.6.88
- 6.6.89
- 6.6.90
- 6.12.0
- 6.12.1
- 6.12.2
- 6.12.3
- 6.12.4
- 6.12.5
- 6.12.6
- 6.12.7
- 6.12.8
- 6.12.9
- 6.12.10
- 6.12.11
- 6.12.12
- 6.12.13
- 6.12.14
- 6.12.15
- 6.12.16
- 6.12.17
- 6.12.18
- 6.12.19
- 6.12.20
- 6.12.21
- 6.12.22
- 6.12.23
- 6.12.24
- 6.12.25
- 6.12.26
- 6.12.27
- 6.12.28
- 6.14.0
- 6.14.1
- 6.14.2
- 6.14.3
- 6.14.4
- 6.14.5
- 6.14.6
- 6.15-rc1
- 6.15-rc2
- 6.15-rc3
- 6.15-rc4
- 6.15-rc5
License
Website
- Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/
CPE 2.3
CPE 2.2
CVSSv4
VulDB Vector: 🔍VulDB Reliability: 🔍
CVSSv3
VulDB Meta Base Score: 5.1VulDB Meta Temp Score: 5.0
VulDB Base Score: 4.8
VulDB Temp Score: 4.6
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
NVD Base Score: 5.5
NVD Vector: 🔍
CVSSv2
| AV | AC | Au | C | I | A |
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| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
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VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
Exploiting
Class: Null pointer dereferenceCWE: CWE-476 / CWE-404
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍
Physical: Partially
Local: Yes
Remote: Partially
Availability: 🔍
Status: Not defined
EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍
| 0-Day | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
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| Today | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
Nessus ID: 237223
Nessus Name: Debian dsa-5925 : affs-modules-6.1.0-33-4kc-malta-di - security update
Threat Intelligence
Interest: 🔍Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍
Countermeasures
Recommended: UpgradeStatus: 🔍
0-Day Time: 🔍
Upgrade: Kernel 5.15.183/6.1.139/6.6.91/6.12.29/6.14.7/6.15-rc6
Patch: 4d260a5558df4650eb87bc41b2c9ac2d6b2ba447/8b02f85e84dc6f7c150cef40ddb69af5a25659e5/cbfaf46b88a4c01b64c4186cdccd766c19ae644c/8e9c8a0393b5f85f1820c565ab8105660f4e8f92/2466b0f66795c3c426cacc8998499f38031dbb59/1f0304dfd9d217c2f8b04a9ef4b3258a66eedd27
Timeline
04/16/2025 🔍05/20/2025 🔍
05/20/2025 🔍
12/17/2025 🔍
Sources
Vendor: kernel.orgAdvisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed
CVE: CVE-2025-37949 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2025-37949
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-309737
EUVD: 🔍
CERT Bund: WID-SEC-2025-1114 - Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen
Entry
Created: 05/20/2025 18:26Updated: 12/17/2025 21:51
Changes: 05/20/2025 18:26 (59), 05/25/2025 03:47 (2), 06/04/2025 17:03 (1), 08/10/2025 00:07 (7), 09/27/2025 09:14 (1), 12/14/2025 16:53 (1), 12/17/2025 21:51 (13)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
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